Lying in the Sand by E. L. Todd Read Free Book Online Page A

past nine. He usually spent the evenings with his girlfriend, Ren.
    “I…I need help.”
    Henry knew what that meant. His tone quickly changed. “You want me to come get you?”
    “No. I just need help driving away.”
    Henry was silent for a moment. “You quit for a reason. Don’t forget why.”
    “I know.” He rested his head against the glass.
    “Why do you want to do it?”
    “I guess because I can’t have what I really want.”
    “Which is?”
    He’d rather not say.
    “Bryce, go home.”
    “I’m just so addicted. I don’t think I’ll ever stop.”
    “You will. I know you will. Now start the car and go.”
    Bryce sighed then turned the key in the ignition.
    “Good,” Henry said. “Now start driving.”
    Bryce pulled onto the road and hit the gas.
    “Tell me about your day.”
    “I picked up Cheyenne from work and gave her back her car.”
    “What was wrong with it?”
    “Bad battery.” He pulled onto his street and then found his house.
    “You like her?”
    “I think it’s obvious how I feel about her.”
    “Have you told her?”
    “No.” Bryce hated thinking about the way he turned her down. She tried to hide the hurt she felt but he saw it.
    “Is there any reason why?”
    “I think that’s obvious. I’m a total mess. How can I have a girlfriend when I can’t stop being a drunk?”
    “Having a girlfriend would help—I promise you.”
    “But she deserves better than that. And Derek is my friend. I don’t think he would approve.”
    “He doesn’t know you’re a drunk,” Henry argued.
    “But I’d rather look him in the eye knowing I’m good enough for his sister instead of lying about it.”
    “You’re being too hard on yourself.”
    “No, I’m not. I’ve done a lot of bad things when I’m drunk. And if it gets tough with her, if we fight, if we break up, I’ll hit the bottle even harder. It’s just not a good idea.”
    Henry sighed. “How much more time do you need?”
    “I don’t know…I think I’m doing better.”
    “You are doing better. Instead of walking inside that bar you called me.”
    “But I don’t want to have to call you. Actually, I don’t want to drive to the bar to begin with.”
    “Remember where you were before?”
    How could he forget? “Yeah…”
    “You’ve come a long way. And you keep going. You’ll get there, Bryce.”
    He leaned his head against the glass and sighed. “Why did all this shit have to happen? Why did Dad have to die? How are you so much stronger than me? I’m older than you but I’m weaker.”
    “You aren’t weak, Bryce. I clung to another person to solve my problems. You clung to alcohol. It’s not that different.”
    “Your liver would disagree…”
    Henry sighed into the phone. “Go inside and get some sleep. You did good today, Bryce.”
    “Yeah…thanks.”
    “I can talk to Derek for you if you want. We’re good friends.”
    “No, it’s okay.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “Yeah.” He hung up then sat in his drunk, wanting to disappear. Then he finally got out and walked inside, still hating himself for rejecting an amazing girl.
     
    Cheyenne didn’t hate her job but she didn’t love it either. Snooty rich people were the worst. She preferred down-to-earth modest people instead of the fancy people with their pearls and high-limit credit cards.
    But she couldn’t complain. She had a job and that’s what mattered. She was putting her life back together, becoming stronger, and working toward being a better person. She had a long way to go, but a slow beginning was better than no beginning at all.
    Working in the evenings was laid back and mellow. Most people checked in during the day. The nights were for routine checks and maintenance notifications. Most of the time, Cheyenne was bored.
    When the last hour of her shift arrived, she stared at the clock, wanting it to go faster. When there was nothing to do at work, she thought about Bryce and the cold way he turned her down. Never in her life had she